Technical Field
The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments relate generally to a system for transporting substrates and, more particularly, to a system for transporting substrates, in vacuum, having a reduced footprint.
Brief Description of Prior Developments
Substrate processing systems for semiconductor, LED or other suitable applications may involve the transport of substrates in a vacuum or other suitable environment. In the applications requiring vacuum transport there is an platform architecture that involves the use of tandem or quad process modules. Tandem or quad process modules may have two processing locations where two substrates may be processed next to each other and picked or placed by a vacuum robot at the same time. The two modules may be integral or separate. A problem arises in the use of tandem or quad process modules where only one or two tandem or quad modules is provided. Here, a large transport chamber is required to transport the substrates to and from load locks and to and from the one or more modules requiring a large footprint or floor space. With foot print cost at a premium within a micro-electronics fabrication environment, there is a desire for a substrate transport platform for tandem or quad applications with a reduced footprint.